Worth It (Forbidden Men, #6)(33)

Realizing he wanted to hold hands while we walked, I blew out a trembling breath as I silently commanded myself not to pass out from an overdose of excitement. After a mental fangirl scream, I took his fingers.

They were warm, and large, and oh-so boy.

He grinned. “Let’s go this way.”

I nodded, not even paying attention to which way he pointed, because I knew I’d never been that way before. This was as far into the woods as I’d ever gone. Anywhere we went from here would be new to me.

So, we walked. The tension eased, and I could finally breathe easier.

He asked me about a show we both liked that had aired a new episode the night before. As we chatted and argued about what we had and hadn’t liked, the sky went darker as the trees started growing closer together, and the ground became mushier without as much sunshine to dry the earth.

But I really didn’t pay too much attention to what was underfoot while my hand was so perfectly clasped in Knox’s...not until I took a step and lifted my foot, only to realize my ballet flat hadn’t come with me.

Suddenly finding myself half barefoot, I gasped to a halt, jerking Knox out of step as well.

“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, turning back with concern flooding his face.

I clenched my hand around his so I could keep my balance on one foot. “I just lost my shoe.”

“You...?” He frowned before his gaze tracked down to my foot. And then his eyes widened. “Oh shit.” Clasping my elbow with his free hand to keep me from falling, he scanned the ground around us before saying, “There it is.”

I glanced back, already wincing because I knew what I’d find. I’d felt the forceful suction of sloppy mud claiming my slipper as soon as I’d lifted my foot. And yep, it was mostly submerged in a marshy puddle.

“Aww, f*ck.” When Knox looked back at me, he winced. “I am so sorry, Felicity. I shouldn’t have taken you this way.”

“It’s okay,” I instantly assured him. “I’ll just—” But oh crap, I had no idea what I’d just do. No way was I going to walk around the woods with only one shoe.

“I got it.” Knox bent past me and reached for my slipper.

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

But he’d already plucked it from the mud. I gulped as I took in how absolutely covered in sludgy, smelly grime it was. Eww. I did not want to put my foot anywhere near that thing.

Knox read the disgust off my face and sent me a helpless shrug. “Want me to loan you my shoe?”

The little cut in my breathing was my heart too busy expanding about five sizes larger because I think I fell flat in love with Knox Parker in that very second. I couldn’t believe he was offering to go without a shoe so I’d have one, even though his feet had to be twice as large as mine and I’d probably lose his sneaker faster than I’d lost my ballet flat.

“Of course not.” I sent him an incredulous glance. “I am not making you go barefoot, you crazy loon. Just...” I reached for my ballet mud flat. “Hand me my—”

“No, don’t,” he warned softly, holding my shoe out away from me. “My hand’s already dirty. Let me.” When he knelt in front of me and murmured, “Put your hand on my shoulder,” I have no idea how I remained upright and didn’t melt into a puddle in front of him, or at the very least, shout out my undying love.

Gulping hard, I set my hand gingerly on his solid shoulder. Wet mud encased my foot as he slid the slipper on, but all I felt was the amazingly supportive shoulder and the brush of his hair against my bare knee as he bent over my foot. When he looked up from where he was still kneeling in front of me, I lost myself in his brown eyes.

“Thank you,” I think I said.

He grinned and straightened as he wiped his dirty fingers on the leg of his pants. “No problem.” Then he hitched his chin toward a different direction. “But maybe we should go this way now.”

“Okay,” I murmured, still caught in my I-think-I-love-this-boy daze. We could go any direction he liked.

He clasped my hand again and off we went. The squishy sound of mud gushing between my toes with every step notwithstanding, this was turning out to be the best afternoon walk of my life.

A minute later, Knox finally broke the silence between us by chuckling and shaking his head. “Seriously, what in the world were you thinking to wear such flimsy shoes into the woods?”

I flushed hard and hot. I’d been thinking I’d wanted to impress him with my girlishness. But I’d only shown him how senseless and impractical I was.

“I can’t believe you were raised right next to these woods. You act like such a city girl.”

That felt like an insult, so I scowled. “I do not.”

His chuckle only grew louder as he paused and took the time to help me step over a log I definitely could’ve stepped over myself.

With another irritable frown, I yanked my hand from his and leapt the log all on my own. “This is the first summer I’ve ever really come out here. Excuse me for not knowing there was a freaking swamp around.”

When I took another step on my own, my muddy shoe stuck to something I’d stepped in and it once again came off without me. Without the support of his hand in mine, I began to tumble to the ground, but he caught my elbow.

As he helped me upright and then back into my shoe again, he winked. “Well, I practically live in these trees, so I should’ve paid attention to what you were wearing on your feet and not taken you this way. I totally owe you new shoes.”